If leaders rule by fear they get bullies and brown-nosers. If they rule by micromanaging, they create disengaged employees. The core of a high-performance culture is respect, one entrepreneur argues. And the absence of it is certainly the mark of a dysfunctional one.

At a time when businesses are expecting more from their employees than ever before, I feel a little reciprocity is in order. Companies could simply go beyond the pregnancy discrimination laws and FMLA leave policies and give their employees longer and compensated maternity leave.